Glossary

Language, before it means something, it has meaning for someone.

Jacques Lacan, French psychoanalyst

From audio to lights, from videos to scenic designs. Here is a collection of terms and technologies that we use daily in our work.

Video projection and mapping 

Video mapping is the projection of images and videos on the facades of buildings or on other surfaces, even heterogeneous ones – such as objects and cars – which by exploiting the physical characteristics of an exterior layer creates effects with a high visual impact.

Led wall

They are self-illuminating panels, of large or very large dimensions, and very high definition, on which videos, images, landscapes are reproduced. Led walls are used to create virtual environments or as backdrops within scenic designs.

Audio systems

We chose K-array audio systems. These are vertical arrays with digital steering, small in size – and therefore with minimal visual impact – but with extraordinary performance. Their loudspeaker is self-amplified which guarantee a perfect amplification. They blend seamlessly into any scenic installation. With these systems, we can control the sound through software, in real time and at every stage of the event.

Newton 16+8

Newton 16+8 is the speaker manager of the Italian company Outline, that in a few years has set a new standard among the products in its category.

FPGA-based processing has enabled this machine to become the beating heart of any complex audio network.Its multi-format routing features (MADI opt. & coax, AES3 i/o, DANTE and analog), linked to the possibility of simultaneous conversion and clock management (synchronous and asynchronous), make this speaker revolutionary unique in possibilities and combinations. The internal processing integrates the new WFIR filters (max 32 in each of the 16 outputs of the internal 16×16 matrix), IIR filters and ALL-PASS filters, at 96 KHz. 

Added to this is a global backup logic: on the input/output signals, on the system clock and on the power supply. The graphically very intuitive Dashboard control software makes Newton’s functions and settings easy to use. 

Pandora’s Box

Pandora’s Box is one of the best Media Servers on the market, equipped with many functions, including: real-time spatial deformation on three axes, the ability to acquire live input from dedicated multistandard boards, a large amount of effects to be applied independently to the layers of work. Recently arrived to its V6 declination, each Server is able to manage up to 4 Display-Port outputs with resolution up to 3840p60 4:4:4 for a total of over 30 million pixels. These four outputs can then be subdivided to obtain up to 16 Full-HD: a huge advantage in more complex productions.

It is therefore a complete, powerful and versatile Media Server, but mastering Pandora’s Box requires a lot of experience and expertise. In order to be able to control with precision all the possibilities offered, the system has been completed with a software, Widget Designer, which tunes commands and recalls presets. Perfected over time, Widget Designer now has many features typical of home automation.
Thanks to the combination of Pandora’s Box and Widget Designer we can control machines over ip, via serial, artnet, dmx, midi, smpte and other protocols.

Why we chose it

At the beginning of the 2000’s, in order to carry out synchronized playouts on large quantities of pixels, it was necessary to add other dedicated machines to the classic graphic mixers: the Media Servers. Over time, functions and potentiality grew with the evolution of the possibilities offered by video projectors and LED walls, and the first and most long-lived ‘Watchout’ was followed by countless other Media Servers. In 2010, we chose to marry what at the time was considered to be the most effective and reliable of these machines – a reputation established over time. Produced by the German company ‘Coolux’, and later acquired by that ‘Christie’ so famous for projectors, Pandora’s Box is universally known as one of the best Media Servers on the market.